The Marlins were in on Starling Marte right up until the centerfielder signed the four-year, $78MM deal to join the Mets, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Mets’ financial commitment, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid by the Mets, who flexed their financial might to ink not only Marte, but Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
Centerfield remains one of the Marlins’ biggest needs, though they may need to get creative now that Marte is off the board. Utility gem Chris Taylor is the only inspiring option remaining on the free agent board with significant experience manning center. The rest of the field consists of veteran names more likely to be seen as backups. This group includes Brett Gardner, Joc Pederson, Billy Hamilton, Ender Inciarte, Odubel Herrera, Jake Marisnick, Brian Goodwin, and a few others.
If the season began today, the Marlins would have Bryan De La Cruz, Lewis Brinson, and Monte Harrison as their primary options. De La Cruz, 24, would be Plan A after putting together a strong showing in the second half of 2021. The right-handed hitter slashed .296/.356/.427 in 219 plate appearances after being acquired from the Astros along with Austin Pruitt in exchange for reliever Yimi Garcia.
With De La Cruz proving at least capable of manning the middle, the Marlins are also exploring the addition of corner bats. Nick Castellanos is a name they like, despite his potentially chunky price tag, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). Castellanos’ big bat would certainly provide a much-needed boost to Miami’s lineup, though it would be a touch surprising to see the slugger end up in Miami, given the presumed price point for his services.
Interesting… makes you think that Castellanos will be very intriguing for them
But the Marlins wouldn’t give Marte $50M when he asked for it during the season? What sense does that make?
Do you just reply to the first comment of every article regardless of whether or not your take has anything to do with theirs so you can be noticed?
Samuel is back
Obviously he needs attention.
@ tstats3;
Huh?
You seem to know as much about posters as you do baseball.
You guys gonna talk about players names again? How ’bout how they comb their hair, wear their hats, or the shoes they wear?
Nah he does it cause bacon tastes good, but is full of toxic waste absorbed by the pigs skin by laying around in its waste, but you still don’t care cause it’s bacon and it tastes good, unless your a vegetarian in which case you already know this
Same with fish. They eat their own waste. Chicken, too. Every animal really. Matter of fact… Don’t vegetables grow out of it too? We are all eating something that ate crap. At least we’re the only ones that eat it 2nd hand. Unless you’re kinky like me. Lol! J/k
Was that column written by the Marlins PR Dept? Asking for a friend.
Korrect
Some posters will undoubtedly be surprised that he didn’t accept less money from the Marlins to avoid such a tire fire.
Does this mean Jeter is going to have a public meltdown on Twitter?
That would be so much more entertaining than when Cohen does it.
Only if it’s for an insurance company and only if there’s a kid selling lemonaid
OH-IO
Posts like this never make the fan base feel any better they didn’t get their man
Old Mets: Sign Marisnick and go with Nimmo in CF
New Mets: Sign Canha and Marte
So the old sign 2/3 of another teams outfield that didn’t make the playoffs and hope it works for you trick?
There’s no rule that says a player that did not make the playoffs one year cannot go to the place the next season. Using that line of thinking, no team would want MIKE Trout because he’s not a “playoff caliber” outfielder.
That may be true, but I don’t think even MIKE Trout could get the Mets to the post season.
Thats fitting since he cant get the Angels there either. Thanks for proving a point.
It’s not MIKE’s fault the Angels can’t get him more good teammates.
The Marlins were in it until they realized Marte actually wanted a pay check. Garbage organization
Don’t you love it when Billionaires cry “Poverty”? I hope in the new CBA they raise the floor to at least $110M so owners like the A’s, Marlins and Pittsburgh have to spend
A salary floor won’t allow those teams to consistently compete with the big markets though. A salary cap is needed to prevent these huge differences in payrolls. $110 million is still not even half of the Dodgers payroll.
The underlying purpose of salary floor means more players will be signed to better deals. The result could be more competitive teams.
Baseball doesn’t need a salary cap. It’s a tool to suppress player salaries under the guise of “competitive balance”. The NFL has a cap, and over the last 25 years the same six organizations have won more than 1/2 the Super Bowls. What you see is an older star being forced off a team he’s played most of his career and onto some crummy franchise during the tail of his career. Caps are garbage! They don’t fix incompetent ownership and front offices, which is why the continually down-trodden are the way they are.
I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate when people say baseball needs a cap. No, it doesn’t. It has more parity than any sport. Large markets are already paying luxury taxes and revenue sharing… and cheap owners are pocketing the money. Take away any revenue sharing not poured into payroll, that’s all you have to do. If a club can’t make it, contract it or force a sale/relocation.
Appalachian Outlaw: Precisely.
The reason those same teams win so many of them has nothing to do with the salary cap. It has to do with the fact that one man alone quarterbacked teams that won 7 of those 25 championships. If you take Tom Brady teams out the numbers become very reasonable. I’m no Brady fan but quarterback is the most influential position in all of sports and he has the stats and rings to prove that he is the greatest athlete of all time. About 30% of those wins were going to come from whichever team had Tom Brady and he’s only ever played for 2 teams. He won 6 alone with the Patriots and got Tampa their 2nd championship all in that span of time you mentioned.
The reason that hasn’t been happing (since the Yankees) in MLB is not because there is no cap. It’s because baseball has no version of Tom Brady.
Raising the floor without imposing a cap would do nothing but hurt the less competitive teams more. They will be forced to spend money on years they can’t contend anyway. It’s going to hurt them by impeding their ability to spend those dollars on the years they actually can win. It’s also going to force them to buy into contracts they may not want and could hurt them later when the player declines. A floor with no cap won’t help losing teams at all. It will only make it more expensive to lose. The rich teams will just spend more money and the losing teams will still be just as far behind. All it will do is make the cost of running baseball teams more expensive.
If it weren’t for Brady winning all those championships the NFL system would have much more equal championship rates. The NFL is the only league I know where every single season there are multiple teams who go from worst to first. Every year some last place team from the year before wins the division. That rarely happens in baseball.
The idea of people wanting a floor with no cap is more about their desire to see redistribution of wealth. The owners have more money than the players so they would rather see more rich players at the cost of super rich owners. It’s basically a political statement and has very little to do with keeping the sport competitive or creating parity.
In order for a floor with no cap to occur 2 things would have to happen and the players will never agree to either of them. The first thing is profit sharing must occur like in the NFL. The sport would have to be equally profitable for every team. The owners offer that all the time and the players always shut it down. The other thing is the contracts would have to be like NFL contracts as well. If you want to force owners to spend money when they don’t want to you can’t have guaranteed contracts. They would have to continue to play to the level they are expected to in order to get paid. Really only the first year of the contract could be guaranteed. That way if a team like the Pirates has to raise their payroll to $110M in a year where no good free agents are available they can still contend next year when those contracts don’t pan out and better players are free agents. If you force owners to buy players they don’t want and then force them to keep paying them every year those teams will never get better. They will only get worse and they would be spending a lot more money to do it.
MLB players are already the most advantaged players in sports. They have no salary cap AND all of their contracts are fully guaranteed. No other athlete from any other sport has it that good. Giving them even more power by implementing a floor without a cap would only widen the gap between them and all the other athletes. The players are open about never accepting either of the 2 things I mentioned above. The owners would be very stupid to agree to that if they didn’t and I doubt they are that stupid.
If you want to use Brady as an example I’d like to point out that he’s very rarely been paid accordingly to his talent, thus enabling NE to keep together it’s core- making the cap moot. Tom Brady was never going to go sign with the Lions. All the cap did was suppress his earnings.
And the idea that contracts shouldn’t be guaranteed is ludicrous. The NFL has the worst system for that. I’m thankful baseball doesn’t have that stupid system. If you want it that way is it then cool if say Mike Trout opts out of his deal in August if the Angels aren’t in a playoff race? A contract is either binding or it’s not, it can’t be a one way street.
And to be blunt- I don’t care about competitive balance to an extent. If a mid-market team is really trying, yes they should be helped. Frankly though it’s no franchise’s obligation to bail out another franchise’s ineptitude, or to drag them along if the market is frankly too small to support a team.
Uhhh bro, you do realize you can put an Astrisk next to every superbowl champion since 2001 right? With MLB you can only do that with what 2017, possibly 2018? More than likely 2019 alcs champion? Screw the NFL
@Appalachian Outlaw: If it goes both ways I would fully support Mike Trout or any other player being able to opt out. It has to go both ways though. Why not just make it 1-year deals all the time so everyone tests the market every offseason with no strings attached? If fans favorite teams never have to be dragged down for years by a bad contract I would be good with that. Good luck with Mike Trout getting $400M after his calf injury BTW.
I’ve been writing for years that all players – major and minor leagues – should be made free agents each year.
No multi-year contracts.
A cap won’t fix anything.
I’d bet that floor isn’t going in without a cap and I’d bet the nut of your choosing that the players won’t accept a salary cap.
No billionaires are crying poverty. You are childishly distorting the issue
I’m surprised a Marlins fan hasn’t responded to garbage organization. They would say we’re not a garbage organization, we won a couple of world titles a very long time ago.
So, basically he chose one dumpster fire over another.
Say what you will, but you make a few moves and start gaining respect for what you put out there every day, and you’re no longer a dumpster fire.
That’s what they says last year… look what happened. I’m not saying the Mets are a garbage organization or anything, but they need to learn that winning the off-season does not mean winning the World Series or even making the playoffs.
Maybe so…but, aside from 2006 and 2015, the Mets have basically been irrelevant for two decades. The 2016 Wild Card Game appearance is meaningless. This is what people didn’t understand about the Braves. Obviously we all feel that they should have won more championships over the last 30 years but if you keep giving yourselves opportunities then eventually you’re going to break through. The Mets simply haven’t given themselves enough opportunities.
To elaborate, the last Phillies title came during a streak of five straight division titles. This Braves title came during a streak of four straight (so far) division titles (even though 2020 was a fake season). The Nationals title came in their fifth postseason appearance of the decade. It’s difficult to do what the Marlins did and just catch lightning in a bottle. You need a team that can sustain success and one day you might just kick in that door.
Castellanos would a be a huge defensive liability in Miami.
Both offensively and defensively in that park. Same guy who was complaining the stadium in Detroit was too big for him to hit in
The Marlins should go after Correa before the Phils get him. Can’t have the Mets have all the fun and the Braves sitting there Freemanless.
And just a few stories below sits Cedric Mullins? Are there prospects in the Marlin’s system that may attract a trade?
Marlins have more than enough to acquire Mullins.
The question is more rather will they acquire him? I don’t know if they want to give up too many young arms for a player who just had his career year
I wouldn’t give up a decent pair of sneakers for Mullins. No disrespect to him, but Baltimore is shopping him for a reason. They know there’s no way in this life or the next under which he repeats those numbers again. He had a career year out of nowhere and very unlikely to repeat again. Baltimore is absolutely trying to sell high here, as they should.
I believe the lack of quality CF’s in MLB is the reason the Orioles will listen on Mullins.
He’s at least within the top 5 CF’s right now, and no one knows because he’s playing for a rebuilding team in the ALE.
27 years-old. Coming off a great season. Low salary. Over 3 years of control left. His value may never never be higher. If the Orioles scouting department has rebuilt, they should be able to get 3 quality prospects for him, including one that has star potential.
Interesting. Calling some of those guys center fielders is a stretch. Makes me wonder what trade value Adam Engel has, although his track record with health hasn’t been great.
I would like a Jake Burger, Adam Engel and Anderson Severino trade for Mullins
I think if that trade was a possibility Hahn would have already made it. Mullins looks like a legit bat, and it seems like his statistical jump is less a fluke and more the fact that he acknowledged he is a bat hitter from the right side.
No need to list GGBG, we all know he’s going back to the Yankees.
Nooooooooo – love him, but that means same team, with Simmons at SS, expecting different results. It wouldn’t surprise me if Hal reversed course because of the remote possibility of a cap, of which he is in favor.
Yep. And they’ll probably bring back Kluber too.
With regard to their pursuit of MLB Free Agents,
Who are not at the BOTTOM end of the payroll Spectrum,
Get used to hearing this from the Marlins:
“Missed It By That Much !!”
Lol. In case you weren’t aware…their business plan highlighted their intention in blowing past the 100 million payroll between this season and next. And every thing this organization has said they intend on doing they have done.
haha, sure they were. I’m sure we’ll hear they were ‘in’ on like 10 other FAs this offseason after they fail to sign any of them. Any player knows that if they sign a significant deal with the Marlins, there’s a decent chance they’ll be traded elsewhere. May as well just sign elsewhere and cut out the middle man.
I always like rooting for the underdog and rebuilds to succeed
Its hard to root for this Marlin franchise tho
I expect an outfield addition along the lines of Avi Garcia or Jorge Soler but I really think this team needs a guy like Chris Taylor. I’d pay him around what Marte got because he is close in value.. I think if they’re unable to get Taylor, they need to focus specifically on getting Garcia or I feel like they need to either trade for Matt Chapman or Olsen. Chapman would allow for Brian Anderson to shift to RF, Jesus Sanchez to LF and Chapman at 3B. In the case of Olsen, it presumes thus fact that Aguilar would DH and then the team would still have to bring in a guy like Avi Garcia to man RF/LF.
Personally I want the Fish acquire Chapman, sign Chris Taylor and trade for a catcher like Jacob Stallings. This would allow for a better team defensively as well as improving the offense. Taylor is your prototypical lead off man, important for being in front of a guy like Chisholm and Aggy in the lineup whereas Chapman has solid power. Stallings is solid offensively in his own right.
CF Taylor
2B Chisholm
DH Aguilar
3B Chapman
RF Anderson
LF Sanchez
SS Rojas
1B L Diaz
C Stallings
Bench
1B Cooper
C Fortes/Jackson
UT Berti
OF De La Cruz
OF Brinson/Harrison
Taylor isn’t a superstar, but probably the guy they need the most because he plays so many positions and they need someone flexible since they have no clue how their other prospects might pan out
Brinson can’t hit, and Harrison hasn’t done a thing since they got him… These two have worn out their welcome. Nice guys but they can’t hit sorry. SO they really need to move on, and let others have a shot. Bring up up Griffin Conine, and stick to the players they already have in camp.
There is really not team that could outbid the Mets if the Mets really wanted someone. Obviously someone to take less for a team that they want. Probably will happen with sherzer
Mets over Astros in 2049. It won’t be a pretty sight in Queens until then so don’t watch until that year.
Yes, NYM has more stupid money than anyone and isn’t afraid to take the wheel and prove it.
Didn’t they just get outbid for a pitcher like 48 hours ago? lmao. And didn’t they also whiff on like five guys last off-season?
Mets22: Yeah, actually there are at least two. You’re mixing up the idea of Cohen’s personal asset value total with the team’s organizational value & total profit.
#1 by a long shot is the NYY. Mets aren’t even in the same ballpark, both figuratively & literally.
You seem to be confused.
Yes, let’s empty the piggybank into an investment. Love the idea of Cohen lifting up couch cushions to see if he has enough for Free Agent A and after he calms down and his wife gives him back the phone, he tweets to Eppler to acquire Free Agents B & C.
There’s a new sheriff in town and he and his 17 billion friends are fixin to change the landscape.
Brewers have 3 cfs; Cain, JBJ and Taylor…just saying
JBJ would be great in AAA
Paging Perry Minasian…can you please get a Marsh for Meyer type deal done before they find someone else?
The Yankee have Aaron Hicks available for the Marlins. 1 bag of balls might do it.
Thankfully they missed out on Marte and they need to stay the heck away from Nick as well. That dude can’t play defense and he would be an average bat at Marlins park. Conforto is the guy they should be prioritizing.
Angels need pitching and have Marsh and Adell.
Miami needs outfield help and has several intriguing pitchers.
I’d also love the Angels to pluck Rojas for shortstop.
I’m sure the Guardians did too. Can anybody prove they didn’t? Worthless article.
*Spiders
I wonder how strong an offer they actually made …. just on taxes between florida and ny im thinking a 4/60 or 4/65 would be the equivalent salary wise. Im sure he gets a bunch more incentive based on endorsements in ny than miami though.
The Marlins are almost back baby!
Does anyone think the Marlins will really spend $200 million on Castellanos?
Garcia or Conforto are far more likely. I don’t see them giving up a 4 young players for Chapman. If they really want to add a 3B they could probably get Kyle Seager as a free agent. An OF bat or a 3B and a closer for the backend to replace Bass should be the priorities for the fish
Which is fine by me because Conforto is definitely a better player than Castellanos
That ship sailed for the Marlins when they insulted Marte during the season with that insane lowball offer. Even if MIA outbid the Mets he still wouldn’t have signed because Jeter would have been planning to offload that contract before the ink even dried.
The Marlins making a move for Marte makes no sense. I thought dealing him was smart because of their farm system. They have Sanchez and Encarnacion already up. Burdick, and Bleday will make it up this year. I can understand getting a veteran or two but not a high priced, long term commitment. .
Nothing the Marlins does makes sense honestly… They spend when don’t need to and don’t when they need to. Their trades have been mostly horrible, and they lack judgement in when to bring up a player.
Bad ownership, front office will often do these mistakes, and have been cursed with that from day 1….
Go get Buxton! Twins could use pitching.
Former Golden Gopher Max Meyer returning?
Been a long time fan of Jeff Conine and Knowing his son is with the Marlins is awesome I just hope they don’t lose him in the Rule 5 draft, and we bring him up. I don’t think the Marlins should spend on free agents with all the depth the team has let the prospect sort out the needs…. They have a lot of intriguing players in the system now. Griffin is someone I would want to see get a chance. He’s a lefty with tons of power, and with a build in fan base. The Marlins would be foolish to let him slip away.
I want Griffin to succeed but the dude either justa HR or strikeouts. And the majority of the times it’s strikeouts.
He needs to improve the hit tool.
The team needs a power hitter who drives in runs, and since when have POWER hitters not struck out a lot? Give him a chance can’t do worse than Brinson who’s had 4 years to show us he can’t hit homeruns, drive in runs, and the Mendoza Line should be renamed “The Brinson Zone” the way he has hit at or below it all but last year. Time to show case other players, and Griffin like his dad might strike out in the minors but unlike his dad he’s got raw power potential, and given they’re probably going with Universal DH id rather have him in there then Brinson, and a bunch of other players. I think we can develop him into something special. Also he’s only been in the minors for 2 or 3 seasons. He hit .283 /22HR/64RBIS in 2019 and he like a lot of players didn’t get to play in 2020 cus of the plandemic……….. So his development was a bit off but I think he will outgrow the strikeouts.
yankees trade Hicks to Marlins for a couple relief arms.